I believe our body communicates to us first in whispers– little aches, low energy, mild headaches, common colds, belly aches, slight constipation or diarrhea, worry, low mood and irritability. These are the first signals that our body is out of balance and needs our support.
It’s so easy when we are busy with our lives- working 8 hours (or more!) a day, having an active social life with friends, being an attentive parent and partner, and doing the things we love- to ignore the whispers. They are often annoyances that we hope will go away.
When we ignore these whispers, our body communicates a little louder– pain, fatigue, insomnia, strong headaches, abdominal cramping, constipation, diarrhea, allergies, anxiety, depression, anger, PMS, and menstrual cramps. It’s at this point that the body is really giving us strong signals that help is urgently needed.
It’s a little harder to ignore the louder communication. At this point, many people turn to over-the-counter medications to over-ride the symptoms- pain relievers, sleep medications, fiber pills, antihistamines, caffeine etc. These totally work. I truly believe there are times when medications are crucial and instrumental in deeply supporting the body. It’s just that many people come to rely on over-the-counter solutions instead of digging deeper to make the changes necessary in their life to fully support their body.
When we ignore this louder communication, our body screams– we throw our neck or back out and can’t get out of bed, we experience migraine attacks, chronic fatigue, sleeplessness, irritable bowel syndrome, panic attacks, severe depression, rage, PMDD, severe menstrual cramps. At this stage, the body can no longer manage on it’s own and it shuts down.
Often times, it’s not until our body screams do we stop and finally listen. Our body actually gives us no choice but to stop and address it’s needs.
What’s the alternative to this?
The answer is to slow down and listen to your body’s whispers.
The answer is to pro-actively address the imbalances so your body is healthy and harmonious.
And, if your body is already communicating loudly or screaming, be kind and compassionate. Get the support you need. Talk to your family. Talk to your doctor and practitioners. We’ve all been there and this is a necessary lesson that sometimes we need to hear over and over again.
It takes practice to slow down and listen. But it’s worth it. Because your family, friends, co-workers, and community depend on you. They need you to be healthy.
The truth is that if you want to take care of anyone else, you need to take care of yourself first.
Also true is that you need to be healthy for YOU, so that you can live and enjoy your beautiful life.